


us against the world

by strawberryfire



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Mike runs away bc being a teenager is HARD, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-02-13 05:21:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21489013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberryfire/pseuds/strawberryfire
Summary: Mike misses Will, so he runs away and takes a 12 hour bus ride to Missouri.
Relationships: Will Byers & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 11
Kudos: 186





	us against the world

**Author's Note:**

> saw this as an anon on someone’s tumblr and i just HAD to write it. also i’m finishing this at 6am so,,, i apologize for any mistakes lmao

Six months. 

Six months since Will walked out of Mike’s life, left him aching in a way he had never felt before. Left him to drown in a endless sea of pure guilt. Too afraid to reach out for help, too afraid to speak his mind. Just too damn afraid to call Will and spill out the endless apologies Mike yearns to speak. 

Mike worries, and worries, and worries. It’s not about El anymore, no, he thinks it never really was, that he was a lovesick kid with a burning desire to help. He’s not even sure anymore if he helped El at all, if he ever made her feel safe. 

He has nightmares almost every single night and every single night without fail, Will is in them. Will’s dead body, how lifeless and limp he felt in Mike’s arms that night at the hospital, Will’s wide eyes staring at him, the way his heart sunk seeing Will laying in a hospital bed. The way he had to watch Will lose every sense of himself and Mike could do nothing. 

His crazy together, his best thing he’s ever done—Mike ruined it. And for what? So he could swap spit with some girl? And he got to thinking, he barely knew that girl. She didn’t know herself either. 

Mike was 17 now. He was 17 with a cig addiction, shaky hands and completely, utterly alone. He had Lucas, sure. Dustin and Max, too. Mike had done everything to stay close with them, to never let them go because they were his best friends but you see Mike Wheeler was popular. Girls drooled over him left and right, constantly begging to hang out with him. He always said no. Lucas laughed, saying it was because of El but it wasn’t. It was because of Will. 

Mike had let a girl ruin everything and he would never be able to forgive himself for it. He feels like he’s been on auto pilot ever since Will left; floating through the motions and completely disconnecting from reality almost 24/7. And it hurts. 

He tries to call Will every night. He stands by the phone, stares at it, tries to think of the words to say. 

He never picks up the phone. He never calls. 

Will writes letters. Mike gets one almost every week. He reads every word over and over. 

He never responds. 

Until, 

“Mike! Will’s calling, he wants to talk to you!” Nancy shouts from downstairs.

Mike reaches for his phone and his hand hovers over it for a few seconds. Six months, six months and this was it. 

He picks up and doesn’t say anything.

“Hi, Mikey…” Will says, his voice a lot deeper than it was in July. 

“Hey.” 

“It’s been a long time um…how are you?”

“I’m doing okay. What about you?”

Mike wants to throw up, he wants to break down crying, he wants to fling himself off the roof of his house, wants to hold Will and keep him safe. Mike wants and wants. 

“Really good…actually…um..school’s great. Boring, as usual. Anything interesting happen in Hawkins?” 

“There’s a new stoplight.”

“Riveting.” 

“Uh, what else um…El’s learning how to play piano. She reads a lot. Talks more, too.”

“That’s good. I’m glad you’re both…good.” 

“Yeah, we’re getting there.” 

Mike squeezes his eyes shut and grips the phone, trying not to let the floodgates break open. 

“What about you?”

“What about me?” 

“How are you?” 

“I’m fine. I don’t really do much anymore. School’s stressful. Steve just moved away, so Dustin’s depressed and always at home. Lucas and Max are always hanging out. I just kinda…hang out by myself.” 

“Mike…”

“I miss you.” He blurts out, swearing his voice cracks.

Will doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, “I miss you too, Mike. Take care of yourself okay?” 

“I read every letter you send me, y’know. I don’t know why I never write back. Don’t really…really have energy, I guess. I’m kinda feeling burned out.” A beat then, “Don’t give me up, alright?” 

Silence for what seems to be forever.

“I won’t. Promise.” 

Then the line clicks. 

Mike hangs up then stares at the ceiling, feeling so hollow and colder than the snow outside his window. 

He listens to his parents shouting at each other, which happened more often now that Nancy was gone most of the time. This time they were shouting about Mike. Saying his grades were terrible, that “I didn’t raise him to be a deadbeat!”, that he was going to end up failing and repeating sophomore year. 

Mike lights a cigarette and closes his eyes, trying to imagine Will beside him. Desperately trying to cling onto the good memories, which were dwindling because life was dull and nothing was worth remembering anymore. 

The cigarettes don’t help in any way, but they help him calm down. It always hurts his chest but it’s a pain that’s something he craves now. He thinks he’s pathetic. 

Mike’s birthday was the next day. He told his mom he didn’t want to celebrate. Told Lucas, Max and Dustin to not get him anything, that they would watch a movie, order pizza and that would be it. He wanted to be left alone or maybe, he wanted Will. He couldn’t be happy without Will because Will was sunshine, even in his darkest hours, he was like neon lights on the pavement after it rains. 

The shouting downstairs stops after the front door slams and it makes Mike flinch. Then it slams again. Two cars start up, two cars drive away. The house is silent. 

Mike reaches under his bed and grabs a shoe box he had full of allowance money. He sits and counts it; $150. 

That was definitely enough for bus fare.

He packs his backpack with two changes of clothes, a camera and snacks. He thinks about writing a letter, or a note or something. 

He decides not to. 

Mike puts on some itchy beanie from his grandma, gloves that weren’t warm at all, and a brand new coat that cost more than Mike could imagine. 

He goes downstairs to the basement and looks around at the empty space. His mom made him sell all of his childhood things. The only thing he had left was his D&D stuff, which sat in a box in the corner. 

It makes him feel a million emotions at once, but especially longing, _longing_ for how it used to be. How they used to laugh and be kids without a worry in the world. When they were happy and not fucked up in every which way. 

Life isn’t fair, life can’t be like that anymore. 

So, Mike walks to the bus stop in town. It’s nearly in the negatives and it’s sleeting, cutting at his face like tiny knives. He buries his face in the scarf Will gave him for Christmas three years ago and tries to think of Will being the one keeping him warm. 

The bus drives up and the doors open. 

He walks on and hands the driver $50, “One ticket to Joplin, please.”

The driver looks at him like he’s crazy but shrugs and gives him the ticket.

Mike sits in the back by the window, putting on his headphones and listens to the mixtape Will made him. It makes him smile, only a little bit. 

He thinks about when Will gave it to him. It was a absurdly hot day in the middle of August in 1983 and they had been sitting inside laying around doing absolutely nothing. Mike remembers the way Will was so shy about it, his cheeks tinted slightly pink. It was so adorable. He thinks about the first time they listened to it together; laying in Will’s front yard in the middle of the night when they couldn’t sleep. 

Will knew Mike had nightmares too. Mike never talked about it, since he knew Will had been through more. He had a reason to hurt. Will always insisted that Mike could hurt too, that Will would be there for him no matter what. 

They promised each other crazy together, right?

Mike checks his watch and it reads 9:15pm. It would be morning by the time he got to Missouri, so he leans his head against the window and closes his eyes, smiling at the thought of being in Will’s arms again. 

When he opens his eyes, it’s 6:30 in the morning and the bus is driving by sprawling landscapes dotted with cows and farmhouses. He can see every single color of the sunrise as it peaks over the horizon and it’s beautiful. 

He pulls out his camera and takes a picture, knowing Will would love to paint it. 

Mike then starts to get the crushing feeling of complete dread. What if Will didn’t want to see him? What if Will had moved on? What if Will hated him? 

He bounces his leg and tries to ignore all the voices telling him all the things Mike never wanted to believe. 

8:45, and the bus parks in Joplin, Missouri. He gets off and watches as it drives away. He looks around at the quite town, which was barely awake and cozy covered in the warm morning light. It’s peaceful, there was nothing for Mike to be afraid of here. 

He pulls out the letter he had in his pocket, with Will’s address written on it with the fancy calligraphy pen Will loved. 

Mike walks down the street, looking around at the signs, “427 West 34th Street.” He mumbles into his scarf. He spots a little cafe with the neon “Open” sign flashing in the doorway. He walks in and of course, Jonathan is there working. But he doesn’t know it’s Mike. And Mike guesses it’s because he really has changed; he’d grown up to 6 foot 2, was so much lankier and let his hair grow out to some half straight half curly mullet. Max always said how much she loved it. 

Mike gets coffee and a chocolate chip waffle, Will’s favorite thing. He wishes Will was here, but it was a Sunday which meant he slept in. Mike hated that, since they spent most Saturday’s playing their campaigns for hours on end. 

Mike hears Jonathan get a call at the register and he can hear Nancy’s distressed voice on the other end.

“Nance, babe, calm down, I can’t understand you.” 

“Mike’s gone!”

“He probably went to Dustin’s or something.”

“We’ve checked his house, and Lucas’, and Max’s, even checked your old house and Castle Byers. We’ve literally checked every single corner of town…he’s gone, Jonathan!” 

Then comes more guilt, more waves of it and Mike’s chest starts to hurt. He knew Nancy worried about him, but he thought she was too busy to truly care. 

Mike puts a $10 on the table then shoves his hands back in his coat pockets and walks out, making his way towards Will’s house, which was luckily closer than he thought. 

After about ten minutes, Mike is standing in front of Will’s house and his heart jumps into his throat. At this point he didn’t care if Will hated him, he just needed to hold him. 

Mike takes in a shaky deep breath and walks up the concrete steps. He stands there hesitant, suddenly hearing Will’s tear filled voice.

“Mom, Mike’s gone missing.” It breaks Mike’s heart, it always did whenever he saw Will cry.

“What? Oh honey…” 

Mike whispers, “You got this.” He nods to himself then knocks on the door. His hands are shaky again and he can’t breathe. 

“I got it.” He hears Will mumble.

Shit, shit, shit. 

Mike hears footsteps down the hallway then he opens the door and oh my God. In the six freaking months they’d been apart, Will had cut his hair and grown at least a few inches. He was even more beautiful. 

Will stares in disbelief, his mouth open and tears still brimming on the edge of his eyes.

“Honey who is it?” Joyce asks.

Will then gets this grin creeping across his face and he’s _beaming_, “Mikey!” He jumps into Mike’s arms, almost making him fall backwards and he wraps his arms around Mike and then—that’s all Mike needed. This was it, this was where it was. 

Mike hugs him so tight and doesn’t let go, burying his face into Will’s neck. He wishes he could kiss him. 

“You _idiot_, Mike Wheeler. You’re an idiot.” He mumbles into Mike’s chest, laughing a little under his breath.

“I’m _your_ idiot though.” He mutters, rubbing Will’s back and using all his willpower to not start crying again. 

Will lifts his head and looks into Mike’s eyes, “_Jesus_. What water have you’ve been drinking?” 

Mike smiles a little, “Dunno, could ask you the same thing.” 

Will rubs his thumb under the huge dark circles under Mike’s eyes and frowns, “You look exhausted, Mikey.”

He leans into the gentle touch because it’s just so nice. He hadn’t even gotten a hug from anyone in months.

“Always am.” He says softly. 

“C’mon inside, it’s cold. Want some coco?” Will asks, leading Mike inside. 

He looks around, “Sounds lovely.” 

This new home; it really did feel like it. The walls didn’t hold any horrible memories, there were no demogorgans in the freezer, no bad things. It was cozy. It was what Mike wanted for Will; peace. 

“There is no way that’s you, Mike!” Joyce says with a bright smile. 

“It’s me alright.” He says, taking off his coat and scarf. 

She gives him a hug, “Your momma is worried sick about you, sweetheart.”

He hugs back and sniffs, “Yeah, I know. I didn’t leave a note.”

Will puts in two mugs into the microwave, “How did you even get here?” 

Mike shrugs, “I used my saved up allowance money to buy a bus ticket. Left Hawkins at like, 9 o’clock last night or something.” 

Will shakes his head and smiles, “Idiot.” 

Then, El comes into the kitchen. Her hair is much longer and she looks happier. 

“Mike?”

He smiles, “Hey, El.”

She hugs him tightly and doesn’t say a word, because she doesn’t need to. He rubs her back, “You look so much happier, Ellie.”

She pulls away and smiles, “Thank you. It’s nice here. You got taller.”

Mike laughs under his breath, “Yeah, I’m taller than my mom and Nancy now.” 

Will hands Mike his cup of coco, “C’mon, we got some catching up to do.”

Mike waves a little to Joyce before following Will to his room. It’s just like back in Hawkins; covered in posters and paintings. It feels even more right, like this was meant to be. This house was meant for Will and it makes Mike happy because it’s what Will deserves after everything.

Mike sits on his bed and sips his coco, “It’s so…nice.”

Will sits criss cross beside him, “Isn’t it?” 

“Oh, I brought you something.” He reaches into his bag and pulls out the picture he took of the sunrise then hands it to him, “Saw this when I was crossing over Illinois. Thought you’d might wanna like…paint it or something. I dunno. Just thought it was pretty.” 

Will takes it and smiles, “I love it, Mikey. Thank you.” 

“Mhm.” He looks down at his mug then Will rests his head on Mike’s shoulder and Mike feels so incredibly happy he doesn’t realize the tears running down his cheeks.

“Mikey, no crying.” Will says softly, wiping away the tears and linking his arm with Mike’s.

“It’s been so hard without you, Will…I mean…really, really hard…I fuckin’ _smoke_ now. I don’t even go to the arcade anymore. Lucas is always with Max, who’s always talking to Ellie and Dustin just…isn’t taking Steve leaving very well and no one’s…no one’s happy.” 

Will frowns, “Mikey, why haven’t you ever called? You know I would listen to you, right?”

Mike nods, “I know. I don’t know why I…”

It all comes back too quickly, the fight in the rain. The way he didn’t stop the words coming out of his mouth. The way he ignored Will every single time he asked to just play D&D. All the guilt, it’s coming back in overwhelming waves and Mike just breaks down. 

“Oh Mikey…” Will puts their mugs down and pulls Mike into his arms, holding him to his chest. 

Mike cries, letting every single tear he had held in for six months just pour out, mumbling “_I’m sorry”_ and “_You gotta forgive me, Will”_ over and over. 

“Mikey.” Will gently cups his face and looks into his eyes, “Of course I forgive you. Of course I do, you hear me?” 

Mike nods weakly. 

“You are my best friend, no matter what, okay? Crazy together, remember?”

Mike smiles a little, “Crazy together.”

Will pulls a blanket over them and sighs contently, “I missed you so much.” 

Mike rests his head beside Will’s, “I missed you more.” 

“Wanna get some sleep? I bet you’re tired.”

“Nah…just kinda wanna look at your pretty face.” He says, running his fingers through Will’s hair. 

Will blushes and rolls his eyes, “Alrighty.” 

This was the moment, he needed to take the chance. Needed to jump. Needed to take that risk he’d been wanting to take all his life. 

He leans forward and presses a kiss to Will’s lips. Will kisses back. They look at each other for a few seconds, before Will kisses him again and again and Mike is on cloud fucking nine. This was all he needed, all he wanted, all he craved and all he loved. 

Will pulls away and smiles ear to ear, “You ran away from home, went on a 12 hour bus ride to a city you’ve never been to, found my house, scared your family and the party half to death…just to kiss me.”

“Yep, you got that right.”

Will laughs, really laughs and he shakes his head, “You’re the biggest idiot I have ever known in my entire life.” 

“You love me.”

Will smiles and gently puts his fingers in Mike’s hair, “I do.”

It doesn’t quite click in Mike’s head right away so Will says it again, “I love you. I really do.”

Mike almost starts crying again and Will giggles, “Don’t cry, oh my goodness.” 

Mike kisses him, “You wanna know another reason why I ran away?”

Will looks at him like he’s the entire world because to Will, he is, “Why’s that?”

“‘Cause I’m 18 now. I can do what I want. I could live here with you, _we_ could runaway.”

Will laughs again, “I don’t have any money, you overgrown man child.” 

Mike laughs too, for the first time in months, “It’s just us against the world, baby.” 

Will blushes, “Yeah, it is.” 

They don’t move almost the entire day. Mike refuses to get up, refuses to leave Will’s arms. Joyce insists that he call his mom, but he just shrugs it off, saying he’d do it later. Dustin calls on Cerebro about a million times and Will ignores it. 

Mike keeps his hands on Will, his fingers in his hair, his kiss on Will’s lips. He doesn’t want to forget this and neither does Will. 

“I think I’ve loved you my whole life. Or that I’ve loved you in a dozen different universes.” Will says quietly as the sky darkens and the world outside begins to slowly get covered in a blanket of snow.

“Me too.” Mike whispers back, “I think we’re soulmates.” 

“We’re 17 and 18, Mikey, I don’t think we really know what a soulmate is.”

“I beg to differ.” 

Will just rolls his eyes, “Whatever you say, Mikey. Whatever you say.” 


End file.
